the thing about falling in love is that you never really see it coming.
it sneaks up on you, winding a vice around your heart until it squeezes it just right, just enough that it feels a little like you're suffocating. like there's a constant weight in your chest.
but it's not bad at all; oh no, it's a kind of heaviness that comes with the satisfaction of knowing that you're whole. like being wrapped in three blankets on a lazy winter's morning. like coming home after a long, exhausting day and collapsing onto your sheets, and feeling all the muscles unwind in your back. it's taking the perfect picture at the perfect time and staring at it for hours, pride bubbling up in your chest. finding the perfect song that seems as if it's singing for you, and you only.
the feeling of love is hard to describe, but it's definite and stunning.
it's realizing that you want to be curled up next to him when the days get cold, only needing one blanket because your shared warmth is more than enough. it's returning home- maybe not your house, but the arms that can only be described as the place you belong. it's having the memory of your phone filled with pictures of him, most caught off guard, yet stubbornly refusing to delete any of them. it's when he sings to you late at night, lacing his fingers with yours and tracing imaginary constellations in the sky.
these are the moments in between.
the ones that seem insignificant in the moment but become the most important in the end.
1-
the sun was beating down on her back, her black tshirt soaking up all the heat and making it almost unbearable.
but he made it bearable, right there next to her, hand laced with hers.
they swung their feet back and forth in the clear water of her family's pool, the soft swish echoing among the rustling of palm trees and noise of cars. her pale legs contrasted sharply to his tanned ones, and she found herself giggling when his shorts rode up and exposed his prominent tan line.
he laughed with her, shoving her so that she was perilously close to falling in, but keeping a secure arm around her waist to prevent it from happening. he smiled at her, eyes alight with something more than just summertime glee; and she noticed that there was ice cream smeared around his mouth. she wanted to kiss it off.
he beat her to it.
2-
it took him months, but as soon as he had saved up enough money he bought a car for his sixteenth.
it wasn't the latest model or particularly new but it drove smoothly and had nice leather seats. it was a bright red that you could spot from a mile away, and for some odd reason she thought it fit him.
"'s nice," she commented when he first pulled up into her driveway.
he grinned when she looked around the vehicle in awe, dragging his hands appreciatively down the steering wheel.
they drove far and fast, taking the back roads around the suburbs and exploring areas they hadn't been able to visit before. they drove until the sun set.
really, they drove past that. but as the sun painted itself vibrant yellows and reds and oranges, he drove up a hill and parked. it was quiet for a long time.
and yet they knew it would only take a moment. one moment of her eyes being lit up like the sun, making her normally warm brown orbs have a spark in them. one moment of his long, thin fingers tapping the beat of their favorite song on the steering wheel. one moment for him to lean over and peck her on the lips, maneuvering her so that she could straddle his waist somewhat comfortably.
